Habitat for Humanity opens applications for two homes it plans to build in downtown Waldport

 

WALDPORT — Habitat for Humanity of Lincoln County has opened the application process for families to help build and own two homes it will construct in Waldport.

Ground breaking in Waldport is expected to begin next summer with completion in late 2025.

The housing nonprofit received a $360,000 state grant this year to help build two homes on property it owns in downtown Waldport. The two new houses will be on lots next to two homes it built in 2013 and 2015 at Northwest Fayette and Commercial streets.

Applications are due by Dec. 22 and the selection process completed by the end of March. Applications are available on the group’s website at www.habitatlincoln.org, from the Habitat office by calling 458-277-7601, or by emailing office@habitatlincoln.org.

Habitat for Humanity is a national nonprofit with chapters throughout Oregon with a focus on helping low-income families get into homes of their own. It uses grants, donations, proceeds from its resale stores and volunteers to construct houses that it sells at steep discounts and “sweat equity” to low-income families.

The organization is ramping up its programs in Lincoln County, said executive director Lucinda Taylor, finishing work on two homes in Lincoln City.

Formed locally 1995 it built only two homes in the last five years, Taylor told YachatsNews earlier this year. Now it is building one new home a year “and working to reach two per year,” she said.

“Housing is a basic human need, and safe, decent, stable housing that is also affordable is harder and harder to find,” Taylor said in opening the Waldport applications. “From units for low-income families to workforce housing, the need is only increasing and we will all be challenged to develop creative solutions that garner community support.”

Applicants for the Waldport houses can come from anywhere in Lincoln County but must have lived here for one year.

The size and number of bedrooms for each home will be customized to the size of the selected household so families of all sizes are encouraged to apply, Taylor said.

Habitat has scheduled five information sessions to answer questions about the Waldport project. They are:

• 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 14, at the Waldport branch of Oregon Coast Community College, 3120 S. Crestline Drive;
• 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, at Oregon Coast Community College, 400 S.E. College Way, Newport;
• 5 p.m. Nov. 17, Arcoiris Cultural Center, 144 S.W. Coast St., Newport (Mum translation also available);
• 5:30 p.m. Nov. 28, at Oregon Coast Community College, 3788 S.E. High School Drive, Lincoln City; and
• 5:30 p.m. Nov. 29, at Lincoln City Cultural Center, 540 N.E. Highway 101, Lincoln City.

Taylor said families are selected based on housing need, their financial ability to pay a mortgage and their willingness to partner with Habitat. To qualify, household income must fall between 45 percent and 70 percent of annual median income for Lincoln County, based on household size.

Partnership requirements include committing to 350 to 500 hours of their own work on the house and participating in money management and homebuyer education courses. The selected family must also maintain their current level of income and not take on any new debt between the time they sign a partnership agreement and the time they close on the purchase.

Taylor said that like all Habitat builds, discounted and donated products and services from local businesses and contractors are needed, as well as many hands-on volunteer hours from individuals and organizations. Habitat will also raise funds and accept donations to help pay for materials and related expenses, she said.

Habitat has its own construction manager who works with local contractors and apprenticeship programs.

Taylor said a Habitat committee visits the home of each housing finalist to assess their living situation and then makes a recommendation to the organization’s board.

Once the family is selected, Habitat works with them to decide a floor plan and size of the house. Taylor said the small size of the two Waldport lots – they are about 3,000 square feet – could mean one house might be 2-3 stories tall and the other possibly a fully-accessible single-story home for 1-2 people.

Habitat sells the finished home to the family, but keeps ownership of the lot. If the family eventually needs to sell, deed restrictions require it be sold only to another low-income family, Taylor said.